[FIC] A Matter of Phrasing
Title: A Matter of Phrasing
Fandom: Gakuen Heaven
Warnings: Slash, PG-13.
- For 15pairings, #5 it's not real.
"It's weird, you know? I've known him for a long time so I have a pretty good grasp on what he's like. And then he does something like this and gets me all confused and worked up to the point where I start thinking I don't really know him. Except I do."
Niwa Tetsuya had not had a sparring partner in the four years since he'd joined the dojo. His sensei claimed it was because of his impatience and recklessness, but Niwa knew it was because there was no one other than his sensei who could match his skill. His time at the dojo was spent running through forms and occasionally helping sensei with a demonstration. But Niwa missed the rush, the sound of the blood in his ears when someone was about to land a heavy one on his jaw, the exhilaration when he evaded the kick and retaliated successfully. There was no other feeling like it in the world, except maybe winning.
The day Nakajima Hideaki stepped into the dojo and was introduced as Niwa's new sparring partner was one that Niwa remembered clearly, and not just because it was the day he'd met Hide. The instant he'd seen his new opponent his mind began cataloguing all the weak spots he could see. The glasses; if he could rid the other boy of those he'd be sure to win. Nakajima had smaller shoulders and less muscles around his biceps, but enough leg muscles that Niwa decided he should take care to dodge every kick. He looked strong, but not strong enough, and Niwa smiled.
When he was sitting ungracefully on the floor, Nakajima's hand poised at the back of his neck, he grinned while admitting defeat. "You're good," he told Nakajima, "let's be friends." And so they were.
"Don't you just hate it when things change suddenly without any warning? It's like the world is conspiring against me, turning upside down just to spite me, and I'm sure I don't deserve it. I haven't hurt anyone and I'm a perfectly nice guy, right?
"...you don't have to look so skeptical you know. I am nice."
It wasn't as if Niwa and Hide were inseparable. One could be seen without the other, sometimes. But more often than not they would be walking around campus together; the King and his Vizier.
Tales had spread about them since they had been first years. Most were of the opinion that the two friends were secretly lovers. It would explain why gaining the wrath of one meant gaining the wrath of the other, and it was certainly not unheard of. Others claimed that Nakajima was keeping Niwa as a captive sex slave and that Niwa went along with it because Nakajima was blackmailing him.
The most popular rumor though was the one that said Niwa was in love with Nakajima but that his feelings were not returned. People claimed they had noticed a wistful air around the King when he was close to his friend, and the sympathy of the student body was at least a little responsible for Niwa's popularity.
Niwa heard the rumors, laughed, and shared them with Hide over coffee.
"You've seen him around his dates. He's always so smooth, so slick, so pushy you never doubt he's after you. He licked Keita's elbow for crying out loud, even if Keita didn't get why he was doing it. The point is, I've always been able to tell, so why should this time be different? You know what I'm talking about, right? He must've pursued you at least once.
"I know that smile. It's the 'Nakajima showed me a great night' smile. That bastard, I can't believe he never told me.
"Hey, what was that for!"
Niwa would get restless at least once a week and demand that they take the day off to do something fun. For Hide it was a little longer, around a month before he started to feel the strain. When that happened he would drag Niwa away from his desk (with very little difficulty), tell him they were going out and let Niwa take over from there. They knew each other's tastes, knew what they needed and when they needed it, and always ended up having fun.
When Hide stepped away from his computer to perch on Niwa's desk, the student council president expected to be herded off for their usual stress management ritual. Instead, Hide smiled at him, the kind of smile he'd seen his friend wear a thousand times when speaking to someone that interested him, and said, "Want to go see that new movie that's showing this week?" Niwa's nod was automatic, and Hide slowly slid off the desk, hovering over Niwa for a long-lasting moment before straightening. "It's a date then," he said, and left their office before Niwa could think of a response.
"It was just the movies, but it was different from all the other times. For one thing he was sitting real close to me; I think our hips were touching at one point. And he kept shooting me those looks, like I was an extra spicy plate of curry and he was a starving man. He said it was a date, but I don't know if I'm supposed to take that seriously either. It'd be just like him to do all this as a joke or as payback for all the work he had to do instead of me this month. I just don't get it, I really don't. What am I supposed to do?"
"I wouldn't know Niwa, I'm not your therapist. Now will you please get out of the treasury so I can get some work done?"
"That's mean, Kaoru-chan! I'm really desperate!"
"Yes, so am I. Desperate for you to leave. And I suggest you go, before I reacquaint you with my pepper spray."
It was all well and good for Kaoru-chan to kick him out, but that still left him with no answers and an increasing amount of paperwork piling up on his desk, waiting for his return. Not that Hide wouldn't take care of the work load if he had to, and he probably deserved it since Niwa's current dilemma was all Hide's fault anyway. It was fully within his rights to avoid Hide and their office for as long as it took him to untangle his thoughts, and he intended to take all the time he needed.
A small portion in his mind that sounded suspiciously like Kaoru-chan said he was running away, dodging the punch but not fighting back, and the part of him that wasn't drowning in confusion balked. Niwa never ran away in his life, not when faced with guns or thugs or Hide, especially not Hide because he would call Niwa a coward. He'd lose Hide's respect then, the same respect that gained him a steady sparring partner both in karate and school politics.
That, Niwa knew, was not an option.
Even though the captain of the track time could outrun him, Niwa was proud of his speed, and used every ounce of it to get to the student council in record time. He stumbled through the door panting, eyes landing on the composed figure sitting in the chair facing the door, sipping a cup of steaming coffee.
"What was that, earlier? You have to tell me what you're doing, Hide. Are you really flirting with me, or is this your newest way of punishing me? Or are you testing new techniques on me? Why me? You have to explain it so I don't go insane trying to figure it out, I don't think the school would appreciate a crazy student body president."
Hide must've heard him because the tiny smirk he'd been wearing grew, but he stayed silent and Niwa felt a swell of irritation.
It wasn't fair, he decided, that Hide could be so composed while he didn't know which way was up. Something had to be done.
When he stepped forwards, Hide placed his cup on the table, and Niwa would remember to be thankful for it later. When his lips touched Hide's and his friend's tongue darted out to lick his own, Niwa forgot that he'd been confused, forgot that he'd been angry, forgot everything except the heat of his mouth, the feel of that nimble tongue sliding against his, the feel of Hide's arms and how his fingers curled around them. He knew he looked dazed when they broke apart because Hide commented on it, but he couldn't bring himself to care. It was just Hide after all, only his best friend and now potentially more, and it was obvious who'd won this round.
So Niwa said, "I surrender," and let Hide kiss his grin away.
Fandom: Gakuen Heaven
Warnings: Slash, PG-13.
- For 15pairings, #5 it's not real.
"It's weird, you know? I've known him for a long time so I have a pretty good grasp on what he's like. And then he does something like this and gets me all confused and worked up to the point where I start thinking I don't really know him. Except I do."
Niwa Tetsuya had not had a sparring partner in the four years since he'd joined the dojo. His sensei claimed it was because of his impatience and recklessness, but Niwa knew it was because there was no one other than his sensei who could match his skill. His time at the dojo was spent running through forms and occasionally helping sensei with a demonstration. But Niwa missed the rush, the sound of the blood in his ears when someone was about to land a heavy one on his jaw, the exhilaration when he evaded the kick and retaliated successfully. There was no other feeling like it in the world, except maybe winning.
The day Nakajima Hideaki stepped into the dojo and was introduced as Niwa's new sparring partner was one that Niwa remembered clearly, and not just because it was the day he'd met Hide. The instant he'd seen his new opponent his mind began cataloguing all the weak spots he could see. The glasses; if he could rid the other boy of those he'd be sure to win. Nakajima had smaller shoulders and less muscles around his biceps, but enough leg muscles that Niwa decided he should take care to dodge every kick. He looked strong, but not strong enough, and Niwa smiled.
When he was sitting ungracefully on the floor, Nakajima's hand poised at the back of his neck, he grinned while admitting defeat. "You're good," he told Nakajima, "let's be friends." And so they were.
"Don't you just hate it when things change suddenly without any warning? It's like the world is conspiring against me, turning upside down just to spite me, and I'm sure I don't deserve it. I haven't hurt anyone and I'm a perfectly nice guy, right?
"...you don't have to look so skeptical you know. I am nice."
It wasn't as if Niwa and Hide were inseparable. One could be seen without the other, sometimes. But more often than not they would be walking around campus together; the King and his Vizier.
Tales had spread about them since they had been first years. Most were of the opinion that the two friends were secretly lovers. It would explain why gaining the wrath of one meant gaining the wrath of the other, and it was certainly not unheard of. Others claimed that Nakajima was keeping Niwa as a captive sex slave and that Niwa went along with it because Nakajima was blackmailing him.
The most popular rumor though was the one that said Niwa was in love with Nakajima but that his feelings were not returned. People claimed they had noticed a wistful air around the King when he was close to his friend, and the sympathy of the student body was at least a little responsible for Niwa's popularity.
Niwa heard the rumors, laughed, and shared them with Hide over coffee.
"You've seen him around his dates. He's always so smooth, so slick, so pushy you never doubt he's after you. He licked Keita's elbow for crying out loud, even if Keita didn't get why he was doing it. The point is, I've always been able to tell, so why should this time be different? You know what I'm talking about, right? He must've pursued you at least once.
"I know that smile. It's the 'Nakajima showed me a great night' smile. That bastard, I can't believe he never told me.
"Hey, what was that for!"
Niwa would get restless at least once a week and demand that they take the day off to do something fun. For Hide it was a little longer, around a month before he started to feel the strain. When that happened he would drag Niwa away from his desk (with very little difficulty), tell him they were going out and let Niwa take over from there. They knew each other's tastes, knew what they needed and when they needed it, and always ended up having fun.
When Hide stepped away from his computer to perch on Niwa's desk, the student council president expected to be herded off for their usual stress management ritual. Instead, Hide smiled at him, the kind of smile he'd seen his friend wear a thousand times when speaking to someone that interested him, and said, "Want to go see that new movie that's showing this week?" Niwa's nod was automatic, and Hide slowly slid off the desk, hovering over Niwa for a long-lasting moment before straightening. "It's a date then," he said, and left their office before Niwa could think of a response.
"It was just the movies, but it was different from all the other times. For one thing he was sitting real close to me; I think our hips were touching at one point. And he kept shooting me those looks, like I was an extra spicy plate of curry and he was a starving man. He said it was a date, but I don't know if I'm supposed to take that seriously either. It'd be just like him to do all this as a joke or as payback for all the work he had to do instead of me this month. I just don't get it, I really don't. What am I supposed to do?"
"I wouldn't know Niwa, I'm not your therapist. Now will you please get out of the treasury so I can get some work done?"
"That's mean, Kaoru-chan! I'm really desperate!"
"Yes, so am I. Desperate for you to leave. And I suggest you go, before I reacquaint you with my pepper spray."
It was all well and good for Kaoru-chan to kick him out, but that still left him with no answers and an increasing amount of paperwork piling up on his desk, waiting for his return. Not that Hide wouldn't take care of the work load if he had to, and he probably deserved it since Niwa's current dilemma was all Hide's fault anyway. It was fully within his rights to avoid Hide and their office for as long as it took him to untangle his thoughts, and he intended to take all the time he needed.
A small portion in his mind that sounded suspiciously like Kaoru-chan said he was running away, dodging the punch but not fighting back, and the part of him that wasn't drowning in confusion balked. Niwa never ran away in his life, not when faced with guns or thugs or Hide, especially not Hide because he would call Niwa a coward. He'd lose Hide's respect then, the same respect that gained him a steady sparring partner both in karate and school politics.
That, Niwa knew, was not an option.
Even though the captain of the track time could outrun him, Niwa was proud of his speed, and used every ounce of it to get to the student council in record time. He stumbled through the door panting, eyes landing on the composed figure sitting in the chair facing the door, sipping a cup of steaming coffee.
"What was that, earlier? You have to tell me what you're doing, Hide. Are you really flirting with me, or is this your newest way of punishing me? Or are you testing new techniques on me? Why me? You have to explain it so I don't go insane trying to figure it out, I don't think the school would appreciate a crazy student body president."
Hide must've heard him because the tiny smirk he'd been wearing grew, but he stayed silent and Niwa felt a swell of irritation.
It wasn't fair, he decided, that Hide could be so composed while he didn't know which way was up. Something had to be done.
When he stepped forwards, Hide placed his cup on the table, and Niwa would remember to be thankful for it later. When his lips touched Hide's and his friend's tongue darted out to lick his own, Niwa forgot that he'd been confused, forgot that he'd been angry, forgot everything except the heat of his mouth, the feel of that nimble tongue sliding against his, the feel of Hide's arms and how his fingers curled around them. He knew he looked dazed when they broke apart because Hide commented on it, but he couldn't bring himself to care. It was just Hide after all, only his best friend and now potentially more, and it was obvious who'd won this round.
So Niwa said, "I surrender," and let Hide kiss his grin away.